Why do we dream about school exams as adults?

SHANNON O'BRIEN

Tuesday

Sep 28, 2010 at 12:01 AM

It's common to dream about taking a school exam. What’s strange is you haven’t been in school for years. What does it mean?

You’re walking down the hallway toward your classroom, knowing you’re arriving a little late for class. When you enter the room, you see your classmates bent over their desks, concentrating on their work. They don’t have any books open.

A wave of panic washes over you when you realize they’re taking an exam — an exam you completely forgot about and didn’t study for. If you don’t get a passing grade, you’ll fail the course.

The realization makes you gasp, jolting yourself awake in the process. Blissful relief soon follows when you realize it was all a dream. What’s strange is you haven’t been in school for years. Why are you still dreaming about it?

Judging from online commentary, dreaming of school years after you’ve graduated happens to many people.

On Yahoo Answers, readers can pose questions and concerns regarding any topic they like, including dreams. One person wrote, “I frequently have dreams of showing up to college classes that I have not attended all semester and sitting for the final exam without a clue. I’m always unprepared for these exams.”

Another person wrote, “In my recurring dream, I never graduated from high school (which happened 13 years ago). What’s the deal? In the dream, I’m either back in high school, 31 years old, and many of my friends from high school are there; I forgot to take one class, and I have gone back to finish it. In another variation, I have received a letter informing me that I am supposed to go back and finish high school, and I am debating whether or not to do it.”

The response to both posts was sympathetic, with other readers chiming in about their own school dreams.

Dr. Ayame Takahashi is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill., and director of the Child and Adolescent Fellowship program, specializing in child and adult psychiatry. She said so much of our lives are spent in school that it’s not surprising we dream about it, even as adults who are far removed from the situation.

Takahashi said that it’s in school where we feel pressure to perform well on tests, to fit in with other students and to bring home good grades.

“All those anxieties come up in school and are mixed in with the social aspects of friends and parents,” Takahashi said.

If you find yourself needing to give a presentation for work, getting a performance review or applying for a new job, don’t be surprised if you find yourself dreaming about missing an exam.

“Where do you feel the most judged in your life as a kid? It’s in school. So whenever you’re in a situation where you have to perform or may be getting judged, it’s no surprise that that experience can trigger dreams about school,” Takahashi said.

Dealing with the anxiety

Claire Gordon, a professor of speech at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Ill., and who is also an actress, said a similar dream happens to actors. It’s called the actor’s nightmare, and it typically involves actors who find themselves on stage in front of an audience, totally unprepared for their roles.

Gordon teaches a course designed to help those with an intense fear of public speaking. Most dreams about school seem to come from current anxieties that rekindle memories of being judged, or the pressure to perform well — both situations that first arise in school.

Tips from Gordon’s class:

The glass is half full: Rather than focusing on what can go wrong during your speech, job interview or presentation, focus on the positive. Gordon said people who are fearful of public speaking tend to focus on the negative. She helps to identify the fears that the speaker may have and attack them.

“We break down the logic behind the fears,” she said. “We replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.”

Deep breathing: Gordon said that this technique proves your body cannot be tense and relaxed at the same time. Deep breathing is a conscious effort to relax your body –– and you can do it anywhere, without anyone knowing.

Visualization/positive imagery: Visualize yourself succeeding at whatever it is you’re about to do. For example, when practicing your speech, visualize yourself giving the speech and doing it well.

Systematic desensitization: This is an approach that takes some time. People can train themselves to have a relaxed response to things that make them nervous, like giving a speech or interviewing for a job.

In Gordon’s class, the students listen to a recording of relaxing music. Once the students feel at ease, the speaker on the recording starts describing situations designed to pique their nerves. The mental pictures the speaker describes start off with rather benign situations and gradually progress to more stressful scenarios.

The goal is for the students to retain the relaxed mood they acquired while listening to the music, even when being presented with the stress-inducing mental images.

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